I have had Sleep Apnea for years. I have tried both cpap and bipap and neither one has worked. I am still trying to find out how to beat this.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Which treatment do I need to cure my Sleep Apnea?

Lack of sleep can be a problem for anyone. Feeling tired and lacking energy can make any day long and challenging. You might be able to get by with an overload of coffee but when that runs out you are through. There are many reasons why folks don’t sleep such as insomnia which might be a temporary situation or it could be something worse like sleep apnea, which can be life threatening. Unfortunately there are many people who don’t even know that they have sleep apnea. A sleep study ordered from your doctor would quickly determine whether you have sleep apnea or not. If you do have it then you with help from your doctor have to find a treatment for your sleep apnea.

The most common treatment for sleep apnea is using a CPAP machine, which pushes air into your throat continuously preventing your airway from being blocked. If you have done any research on the net then you know that not everyone is a fan of the CPAP. In my own case I tried two different machines and didn’t have any luck with either of them. It is rather cumbersome to have to sleep with a mask on your face and the air blowing into your mouth isn’t exactly comfortable either. But many folks have gotten used to the machine allowing them to once again to sleep.

Although losing weight wouldn’t completely cure your sleep apnea it will certainly help. A healthy lifestyle is good for anyone whether you have sleep apnea or not. Exercising regularly might be difficult for those with this sleep disorder because your lack of sleep doesn’t give you much energy during the day. But it is still worth a try talk to your doctor about what type of exercise program that would be right for you.

Surgery is probably the last option because it doesn’t always work and the recovery time can be lengthy. The one surgery that has the best record is Maxillomandibular advancement. According to an article in NPR it is accurate in 90 % of the time but the recovery period can be up to a year.